STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- The White Tower of Halloy

Kanna Ichine (pronounced I-sheen) female human (if you want). If you remember we re-named Denz's master before we began. I can forward the PM to you if you so wish.))

"Yes, I remember now... The Cult..."

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Is the courtyard, public access? How many poeple can see this body (that I can tell)?

"So do I, Master. What should we do?"

(Oh yes, forgot about that. Kanna Ichine it is.)

It is not a public access area, it is a private courtyard attached to the Senator's complex.

"Examine the body," Master Ichine says. "It was beyond security, let's see if we can glean anything from it..."

It is Perception + Medicine to examine the body.

"Of course, Master." Denzral, grimacing a little, moves forward and gingerly begins to examine the body, careful not to disturb any evidence, pertaining to his death.

Perception: 4
Medicine: 2

You roll four successes. A good roll! You are able to spot some of the more subtle damage to the body, aside from the glaring obvious. The glaring obvious, of course, being that the man's throat was cut and his eyes removed. The eyes have been replaced with coins that you are not familiar with.

The stab wounds are what you notice. They are too clean, too precise. It is almost as if they have been measured.

"Hmm," Master Ichine says. "There is no doubt about this being ritualistic. The question now, is who did it, and why."

"I did not think the Hutt's would deal in the ritualistic, master, if they had wanted someone dead they would simply kill them. I do not believe the Huts are involved, at least not directly. But why kill this man, is it a warning to us, or to Senator from some other source?"

"Very astute, Denzral. No, the Hutts are not ritualistic in the least; they are gangsters. I am unsure of the message being sent, though."

Your Master raises a hand and, slowly but surely, one of the coins covering the corpse's vacant eye sockets raises into the air. She dares not touch it, to avoid contaminating evidence, but this way you can get a look.

I do so. "Perhaps it is a way to stop what ever acts the senator is involved in." Denz says mostly to himself, as he looks at the coin more closely.

The coin is intricately engraved. You do not recognize the emblem, but Master Ichine seems perturbed.

Denzral noticed. "Kanna, what is it?" He asked losing sense of his formality, due to the coins intricate design, in front of his mistress. He had known her for several years, and they had formed a solid friendship.

"This symbol," Master Ichine says, "used to represent the Cult of Necros."

"The Cult of Necros." Denzral repeated blankly. He had never heard of them, but his master obviously knew of them. "Who, or what, are they?"

"A clan of great and terrible evil," your Master says, "and a sect of the ancient Sith. Alchemists and necromancers and conspirators and manipulators, all."

Denzral shivered. "That doesn't bode well for this investigation does, it?" Denz turned around, and faced his master. "Perhaps the senator has done something to cross this cult, and now they are exacting revenge..." It was more a stray thought than anything solid, although he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach (he assumed to be caused by the bodies presence) about the situation. "How long ago do you think this man was killed (he is male right?)."

"The Cult should no longer exist," Master Ichine says. "They died out with the Sith."

Ichine is distracted with this revelation.

Denzral stops short. "But.." He didn't know what to do. "What do we know about the Cult?"

She examines the coin, letting it spin idly in the air before you.

"The Cult..."

It is then that the first shot rings out. You should have sensed it, but you did not. Why did you not sense it? A laser zips down and strikes Master Kanna Ichine across the left shoulder, spinning her about as she takes 9 damage. Another comes in, hitting her side for 5 damage. Another burns across her leg for 4 damage. Another burns through the same leg for 5 damage. Another goes higher and hits her hand as she reaches for her lightsaber in a panic, for 6 damage. One strikes her in the chest for 4 damage. The last shot in the flurry blasts her chest again for 4 damage.

Someone is rapidly taking shots at your Master!

Denzral is taken completely by surprise, as the coin drops in an almost unbelievable slow motion. By the time he had his lightsabre spring to life, Ichine was already falling to the ground, laser shots exploding against her chest. "MASTER ICHINE!!!!" Denzral quickly realised he hadn't been targeted yet. He moved to cover his master, looking for the shooter or shooters. Why didn't her sense the attack before it happened?

You don't know, and that is disturbing to you.

As you bring your lightsaber to bear, you manage to catch the glint of light from the top of a far off skyscraper. One final laser bolt zips in from there and hits Master Ichine squarely on her forehead. She goes down.

Now you sense the danger, just as the coin clatters on the ground.

Tears welled in his eyes as the shot took a chunk out of his masters face. And then a sharp shooting bolt of anger pierced his heart, leaving a daunting shadow on his face as he fell to his knees, lightsabre held before him. He was angry. Angry and he was also shocked. And he was upset. he felt a number of things. Strongest of them was anger, he wanted to lash out at his masters death, make the assailant suffer. He wanted to make those responsible pay. In fact, in his heart, he made a vow. Bt right of this moment, Denzral didn't know what to do? Chase the glint of light. No. Too far away. Inform the counc... he looked up at the far away skyscraper, expecting an attack. His lightsabre still held before him.

(I'm doing this so the man can say that he wept big bantha tears, lol)

However this man managed to take your Master unawares, it was too late to do the same to the Student. He took one particular shot at you with remarkable accuracy- seven successes doubled to fourteen for 17 damage- that left a nasty wound in your shoulder. The scar has since healed; bacta does that.

But it was his only hit. You ducked inside the complex shortly after. A single thought (not your own... another inexplicable thing) told you to Run! and you did so.

After it was over, in your grief, you retrieved two things from the scene as they took your Master's body away- the lightsaber of Kanna Ichine... and the coin.

-

You flip the coin around in your hand as you walk back to the town of Haab on Dartta. You never found any leads on that attendant's murder, nor your Master's. What does it mean that the Cult has returned?

Sherman is waiting for you, sitting on the hood of the speeder whose engines he shot out.

"You return alone," Sherman says. "I thought Jedi tried to take their men alive."